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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Austin, TX vs Detroit, MI

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Summary

Detroit spends 30.0% more per capita than Austin ($9,315/person difference). Austin, TX has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Austin, TX
Pop. 958,202
B
75/100
Budget Balance100
Debt Burden38
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency80
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Detroit, MI
Pop. 636,787
B
69/100
Budget Balance70
Debt Burden79
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency38
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Austin
Detroit
Total Spending
$20.9B
$19.8B
Spending / Capita
$21,772
$31,087
Total Revenue
$74.4B
$28.4B
Revenue / Capita
$77,600
$44,533
Total Debt
$1.2B
$493.9M
Debt / Capita
$1,229
$776
Population
958,202
636,787
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Austin$634
Detroit$2,429
Parks & Recreation
Austin$1,801
Detroit$950
Education
Austin$51
Detroit$0
Health
Austin$517
Detroit$396

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinDetroit
Property Tax
$0
$44
Sales Tax
$526
$200
Income Tax
$1,465
$1,045
Intergovernmental
$14,031
$291
Charges & Fees
$3,247
$2,228
Other
$5,645
$6,892

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

AustinDetroit
Fire Protection
$634
$2,429
Education
$51
$0
Public Welfare
$1,837
$833
Health
$517
$396
Hospitals
$664
$2,217
Parks & Recreation
$1,801
$950
Housing
$3,741
$5,791
Sewerage
$865
$451
Utilities
$3,264
$2,737
Interest on Debt
$0
$2,068
Other
$8,399
$13,216
B
Austin, TX
Fiscal Health Score: 75/100
Good fiscal health
B
Detroit, MI
Fiscal Health Score: 69/100
Good fiscal health

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